


Good Enough

by Backfired



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alpha Akashi Seijuurou, Alpha Kagami Taiga, Alpha/Beta, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Beta Furihata Kouki, M/M, Omega Kuroko Tetsuya, Omega Verse, starts off after the winter cup and doesn't include the events of the extra game manga, yes you read that correctly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-19
Updated: 2016-06-22
Packaged: 2018-07-16 00:39:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7245256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Backfired/pseuds/Backfired
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone knew that relationships between alphas and omegas were just meant to be.  Betas should and would always end up with other betas.  Which is why a beta like Furihata had no business harboring feelings for an alpha like Akashi Seijuurou.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Furihata had never really felt that strongly about his class. When he presented as a beta in the last year of middle school, he hadn’t been all that surprised.  While he may have fantasized a few times about presenting as a strong, assertive alpha—someone that commanded attention and admirers, like his brother—he knew that objectively, with his faint heart and generally deferential attitude towards things, he probably wasn’t cut out to be an alpha.  And while it wouldn’t be _ideal_ to be an omega, what with the many social restrictions there still were, omegas were at least still desired for their supposed submissive qualities and ability to bear children as both a male or female. 

 

Betas—betas were just middle of the road.  They neither had the attractive dominance of alphas or the submissiveness of omegas.  They were just “boring betas.”  All the popular romance movies were about the whirlwind attraction between alphas and omegas; the magnetism they had towards each other.  Every alpha needed an omega and every omega needed an alpha.  Betas should and would always end up with other betas. That was just how relationships were meant to be.

 

Which is why Furihata never thought about his class, or his future relationships too much.  He supposed he would probably settle down with a nice beta girl someday.  He expected it really.  When he confessed to that one popular omega girl before joining the Seirin basketball team, he knew he was aiming too high.  But even after she rejected him when he asked her again after Seirin won the Winter Cup, he didn’t regret at least making an attempt.  Honestly with all the excitement of the tournament and going up against Rakuzan’s formidable all-alpha team on court, he had almost completely forgotten about his confession and promise.  By then the memories and bonds he had made with his teammates were much more precious to him than some ill-meant challenge.

 

What he didn’t expect, however, was that after the end of one possible relationship, another one would begin.  A few days after the end of the Winter Cup and his rejection, Kuroko approached him.

 

“Furihata-kun,” he began, uncharacteristically hesitant, “Akashi-kun wants to get to know you better.  He would like to exchange phone numbers with you, if you are amenable.”

 

Furihata stared at Kuroko for a long moment, before he gave a cautious chuckle, “Very funny, Kuroko! I never knew you could joke like that! That’s not very nice though, giving me such a scare.”

 

Kuroko frowned a bit, “Furihata-kun, I’m not joking.”

 

Furihata froze mid-chuckle, suddenly paling frighteningly fast.

 

“ _WHAT!?”_

 

* * *

 

 

After Furihata had calmed down enough to take Kuroko’s advice (“Text him. I can’t think of any reason why he would have any ill intentions.”), he began a tentative texting relationship with Akashi Seijuurou.  After initial introductions, Furihata was bold enough to ask why Akashi wanted to contact him. “I was impressed by your performance on court,” was the reply Furihata received.  He wasn’t very convinced.  They texted back and forth for a while about basketball, the one topic they both knew they had in common.  Furihata shyly asked for a few pointers from Akashi, who was more than happy to help.  After a while Furihata relaxed, realizing that this Akashi was not the same crushingly cold and intimidating one he had faced on court.  

 

After a few days of surprisingly regular texts, the topic of conversation drifted towards more mundane things.  Subject matter ranged from what they had for lunch that day, to classwork, to club activities.  It was nice for Furihata to talk to someone who seemed genuinely interested in his boring day to day life, and who always seemed to have a word of encouragement for when he was feeling down.  Of course Furihata still had Fukuda and Kawahara, but oftentimes after they left his house after a good old fashioned round of video games and very little actual studying, he found himself falling back into the new routine habit of texting Akashi.  Honestly he was amazed that Akashi still took the time to reply to his texts, and so quickly too, especially with how busy he was every day.  Furihata felt somewhat guilty, afraid that he was taking precious free time away from Akashi, but Akashi assured him that he enjoyed talking to Furihata and that he wasn’t being a burden, for whatever reason Furihata couldn’t fathom. 

 

A month or two later of regular texts, Furihata offhandedly mentioned one day how he was struggling in one of his classes and how worried he was about the upcoming test.  Akashi’s next text, which took a bit longer than his usual prompt reply, almost gave Furihata a heart attack.

 

_How about I tutor you?_

 

Then in hasty succession:

 

_It would probably have to be through Skype video calls, however._

_In the interest of efficiency, that is._

 

After a few solid minutes without a reply from Furihata, whose inner thought process was stuck on a loop of: _Skype video calls. Skype video calls with Akashi Seijuurou.  Seeing Akashi Seijuurou in a Skype video call,_ Akashi sent another text:

 

_Shall I take your silence as a no? I am truly sorry for being so presumptuous.  I apologize if my offer made you uncomfortable.  Please forgive me for overstepping._

Shaking himself out of his shocked stupor, Furihata scrambled to reply:

 

_No! No please don’t worry you haven’t overstepped at all!! I’d love to have you tutor me!!! You don’t know how grateful I am!_

After rereading the hastily sent text Furihata was a bit embarrassed by the number of exclamation marks he had included.  He didn’t have time to worry long, however, with Akashi’s quick reply:

_Please, it’s my pleasure._

_Shall we exchange Skype contacts then?_

 

* * *

Tutoring soon became regular, with Skype sessions three times a week.  Furihata was a bit nervous at first.  Texting was one thing, but talking to someone face-to-face was a whole different ballpark.  At least with video calls he couldn’t directly smell Akashi’s alpha pheromones and he could almost pretend that he was just talking to another beta.  He could forget about class distinctions—both social and economic—and instead just treat Akashi like another friend.  Another handsome, stupidly perfect and _nice_ , friend.

 

Despite the initial awkwardness however, they both eventually fell back into the easy conversation they were used to when they weren’t reviewing Furihata’s class material.  With Akashi’s help, Furihata passed the test he was so worried about with flying colors.  Furihata’s grades in other subjects also improved over time. Fukuda leaned over one time in class to complain about the last test when he saw Furihata’s high marks.  He elbowed Furihata in annoyance, “Furi! When did you get so smart huh? Are you hiding something up your sleeve? Tell us your secrets Furi!” Furihata only laughed nervously in reply, scratching the back of his head.  It wasn’t like he could casually tell Fukuda that he was being tutored by the former captain of the GoM and current captain of Rakuzan High.  That he was being tutored by and on very good terms with the very person he had fell flat on his face in front of not so long ago.  Fukuda probably wouldn’t believe him anyway. 

 

Kuroko also seemed to notice Furihata’s high spirits as of late, and said as much.  Furihata chuckled self-consciously and said that Akashi had been helping him out with schoolwork troubles and that it really took a load off of his shoulders.  Kuroko seemed somewhat surprised, but happy that Furihata and Akashi were on such good terms.

 

“I’m glad Akashi-kun finally has such a good friend as you, Furihata-kun,” Kuroko said.  Furihata blushed, sputtering at Kuroko’s compliment and glancing nervously behind him at Kagami’s glare and threatening alpha aura.  Kuroko seemed to sense his discomfort and realized what was happening, looking exasperated as he rounded on Kagami and scolded him in his own quiet way. 

 

Furihata could hardly blame Kagami for being so possessive.  It was springtime already and tensions at school were high, what with the veritable pheromone soup that permeated the air.  Alpha and omega students alike had to take a week off from school when they entered rut or heat.  Heat season always brought out the possessive streak in alphas, especially bonded ones.  Aggressive outbursts and spontaneous fistfights during school were common.  At times like these Furihata was almost glad that he wasn’t an alpha or omega.  It seemed like such a hassle to be unpredictably incapacitated for a week during such an important testing time.  Though heat suppressants did exist, they were still relatively new enough that the scientific community could not yet confirm that there were no long-term detrimental side-effects to using them, so suppressants were really only used by adults whose professions were time sensitive enough that they couldn’t afford to be out of commission for a week, or by students who needed to take graduation exams. 

 

And, as Furihata discovered when heat season passed without any interruption to their scheduled Skype sessions, Akashi did too.  They were familiar enough at that point that Furihata felt comfortable asking Akashi about it. 

 

“My father sees rut without a bonded partner as…unseemly,” Akashi explained over a call, “A week away might also negatively affect my studies.  Which is, of course, unacceptable.”

 

Furihata had heard about the recent fad in upper class circles of suppressing heats.  A lot of the pretentious upper class, who were usually in high powered jobs and accustomed to having complete control over everything, saw the complete loss of control they had during rut as base and unfit for their highly cultured selves.  Furihata was honestly unsurprised that Akashi’s father believed the same and forced as much on his son. 

 

“Ah…well I guess I can’t really relate,” Furihata said, scratching the back of his head, “But shouldn’t your father at least let you choose? It’s your body…”

 

Akashi clasped his hands on screen, “To be honest, I agree with him on this.  Rut is a biological imperative to mate and ultimately produce children.  I don’t see much purpose for it as an unbonded individual.  I would honestly rather focus on my studies,” he gave Furihata a smile, “And help you with yours as well.”

 

Furihata blushed, “A-Ah, don’t worry about me! You’ve helped me more than enough, really! If you ever needed a week off for yourself I’m sure I c-could manage haha!”

 

“Please, I’d much rather spend that week with you,” Akashi said, still smiling.  Furihata’s blush deepened, but before he could stutter out a reply Akashi smoothly segued, “I remember last week you mentioned final exams were coming up soon? How comfortable are you with all the material?” Furihata’s embarrassment promptly disappeared as he rapidly paled, remembering  his panic for the upcoming barrage of tests.  The subject of ruts and heats was quickly forgotten.

 

* * *

 

 

Graduation came and went.  Furihata could hardly believe that his first year of high school had passed by so quickly.  He was glad that he had another year on the basketball team with his senpai and was excited for another new season of basketball. 

 

Apparently Seirin’s spring break also matched up with Rakuzan’s as well.  Akashi mentioned he would be in Tokyo that week, but would mostly be preoccupied with shadowing his father at the Akashi Group central branch.  He would be free both weekends, however, and would love to meet up with Furihata for a coffee sometime.  Furihata agreed uncharacteristically quickly and they decided to meet up the Saturday and Sunday right before the end of spring break. 

 

It was only a few hours later that Furihata began to second-guess himself.  Sure, he and Akashi had become good friends over the months, and sure, Skype video calls weren’t that different from seeing someone face-to-face in real life…but with Skype he didn’t have to face the full brunt of Akashi’s alpha pheromones. He was worried that his beta nature would get in the way of the easygoing rapport they were both accustomed to.  He didn’t want to mess up his first real in-person meeting with Akashi.  It would be awkward for the both of them if he reverted back to his cowering, shivering and stuttering self under Akashi’s overwhelming alpha presence.  Sure, he might be used to being around powerful alphas, like Kagami and most of the current third-years, but if his memory was any indication Akashi’s aura was on a whole different level.  He tried to reassure himself with the fact that his memory was of the _other_ Akashi, though.  This nicer Akashi wouldn’t have such an overpowering scent, right? Right?

 

* * *

 

 

Wrong.  He was so wrong.  For most of the week he had been able to ignore his apprehension by lazing about with Fukuda and Kawahara playing video games and binge watching old anime, but once they left in the late evening a cold feeling of panic and dread would creep up on him.  A  thousand questions suddenly assaulted his mind. What was he supposed to wear? Sports-casual or more dressy-casual? Should he show up early, exactly on time, or fashionably late? Scratch that, no way could he leave _Akashi Seijuurou_ wondering if he’d been stood up.  Early it was.  How much cash should he bring? They planned for coffee but what if something else came up? What if Akashi brought him to a place with food he couldn’t afford? More importantly what should he _wear_? And why did he care so much about this!? It’s not like it was a date or anything! Try as he might he couldn’t stop thinking and worrying over the weekend meetup though.  He was sorely tempted to text Kuroko and ask for his opinion on all of the questions swirling around in his head, but decided against it, knowing that Kuroko would probably never let him live it down. 

 

When the fated day finally came, Furihata bolted awake at the 6 am alarm he had set last night.   His coffee date with Akashi wasn’t until 10:30 am, but he was _not_ risking showing up late and messing everything up.  He showered and shoveled down breakfast without tasting a thing, then spent the next two and a half hours pulling at his hair in distress deciding on what to wear.  In the end he gave up and threw on one of his favorite graphic t-shirts, jeans, and a light jacket.  He double-checked to make sure he had enough cash and stuffed his wallet, keys, and cellphone in his pockets, rushing out the door to catch the subway into downtown. 

 

Furihata arrived at the café exactly 10 minutes early after wading through the suffocating weekend crowd in the downtown area.  He picked a table for two by the window and sat down, fidgeting anxiously.  At exactly 10:30 the café’s doorbell chimed and Akashi Seijuurou stepped inside.  He quickly noticed Furihata by the window, who gave a shy little wave as Akashi strode towards him.  Several omegas and betas, and even a few alphas, turned their heads as Akashi walked by their tables.

 

When Akashi was exactly five feet away from him, Furihata knew he had made A Mistake.  He immediately realized why so many of the café’s other patrons had been so enthralled earlier.  Akashi smelled absolutely _heavenly_. Furihata was frozen in shock.  He had completely forgotten that alpha pheromones were capable of being both extremely intimidating and _extremely enticing_.  Their smell was purified desire and attraction in fragrance form.  It was heady and intoxicating and better than any perfume or cologne.  No two alphas smelled the same, but there was always just that same something that they all shared that made the smell always so desirable. 

 

During the Winter Cup Furihata’s fear had overshadowed everything else, and Akashi’s pheromones had been terrifying and not at all pleasant, but the Akashi now…the Akashi now smelled like fresh pine, a hint of spice and cinnamon, expensive leather and wood smoke, lightning and liquid gold—a thousand unnameable things that should and shouldn’t have smells but somehow did—all condensed into one electrifying scent. 

 

Furihata could only stare, silent and wide-eyed, as Akashi took a seat in front of him.  How could he forget something like this!? He was so worried sick about being too afraid of Akashi that he forgot that he should also have been worried about being too attracted to Akashi! He should not be so attracted to his _friend,_ he reminded himself, especially someone so out of his league, and an alpha besides. 

 

“Hello, Furihata-kun,” Akashi startled Furihata out of his thoughts, “It really is nice to finally meet in person.”

 

What chances did a beta like him have with Akashi anyway? Akashi probably had hordes of omegas throwing themselves at him.  He had more than enough better options to choose from.  Hell, he could probably pick anyone in this café and they would be more than willing to fall into his arms…Wait, wait, wait.  Furihata was getting way ahead of himself.  He didn’t want to date Akashi.  They were good friends.  _Friends_.  He could not let his biology get the better of him.  Oh, shoot.  Akashi had just said something, hadn’t he? Something about meeting in person? Maybe?

 

“A-Ah, it really is, i-isn’t it,” Furihata laughed nervously, scratching at the back of his head.  He was a _fool_.  This was a horrible idea.  He had overestimated his inner strength.  He was going to be overwhelmed by Akashi’s pheromones and be a blubbering, incoherent mess the entire day and make such a buffoon out of himself that Akashi would leave and never speak to him again, realizing his mistake in associating with someone so beneath him.

 

Akashi seemed not to notice Furihata’s internal spiral into self-loathing as he asked, “Have you ordered something yet? If not I can order for the both of us.”

 

Furihata somehow managed to reply almost normally, “Oh no, I haven’t ordered anything yet. I-I wanted to wait for you first.  I think I’ll have a white mocha and tiramisu? I want to save some room for lunch.”

 

“A sweet tooth, hm?” Akashi teased, “Alright then, I’ll be back shortly.”

 

Furihata breathed out a sigh of relief as Akashi left to order at the counter.  He took a few deep breaths of fresh air to clear his head.  He could manage. He _would_ manage. He would not let biology ruin his reputation or a perfectly good friendship.  He would resist the urge to climb Akashi like a tree if it was the last thing he was ever going to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone i don't usually write fic but draw quite a lot lol. you can yell at me @dedecoris on tumblr or in the comments if you want. this fic is purely a product of me loving the a/b/o trope for world-building purposes and being really frustrated with how characterization has been sacrificed time and again for sexytimes, because i'm boring like that lmao.


	2. Chapter 2

Akashi arrived back with a white mocha and tiramisu for Furihata and a cup of black coffee and a croissant for himself.  After his mental pep talk, Furihata somehow managed to ignore Akashi’s intoxicating scent and gathered enough brain cells to fall into casual conversation with him.  Soon enough he began to relax, the familiar topics of school and basketball calming him.  On the topic of school, Akashi asked him how Kuroko was doing.

 

“Oh, the usual,” Furihata chuckled, “We share shifts at the school library, but lately Kagami has been dropping by suspiciously often to ‘read’ and Kuroko has gotten pretty annoyed with all his hovering.”

 

“Knowing Kuroko, I’m sure he’ll get Kagami-kun back in line,” Akashi replied, amused.

 

“Definitely,” Furihata smiled, “Kuroko’s always disliked people treating him like a typical fragile omega. Kagami probably isn’t going to be an exception.”

 

Before he knew it, Akashi was checking his watch and giving a surprised hum, “Time sure does fly in good company,” he observed, “It’s already noon.  If you’re hungry we can stay here and eat, or we can find someplace else.  I heard a delicious sandwich shop just opened up nearby.” As if on cue, Furihata’s stomach growled. He blushed as Akashi gave a good-natured chuckle.

 

“Lunch it is then.  Afterwards we can see where the afternoon and evening takes us, unless you had something specific in mind?”

 

Furihata shook his head, “No, that sounds fine!” This was good. Everything was going much more smoothly than expected.  Hopefully the rest of the afternoon and evening would be just as pleasant. 

 

Akashi took him down a few blocks to a charming little sandwich delicatessen, tucked away a few doors down from an arcade that Furihata actually frequented quite a lot.  He was surprised that he had never noticed the sandwich shop earlier, though it was probably because he always made a direct beeline to the arcade whenever he was with Fukuda and Kawahara. 

 

Akashi pushed open the shop door, holding it out for Furihata as the doorbell tinkled.

 

He gestured, “Please, you first.” Furihata blushed as he stepped inside.  An alpha holding out a door for a beta? Unheard of.  The only time alphas were ever chivalrous was towards omegas.  Betas were usually the ones holding doors out for alphas.  A few patrons glanced at them curiously before returning to their sandwiches.  There were only a few small tables in the cozy room, but counters lined the shop and many people sat or stood by them as they ate.  Apparently despite being relatively new, word had spread quickly about the shop’s delicious sandwiches and the store was now almost constantly busy.  The noontime rush probably also meant that the room would soon be even more packed in a few minutes.

 

“It seems I miscalculated,” Akashi smiled apologetically as they waited in line for their order, “We should have come an hour earlier or later to avoid the lunch rush hour.”

 

“Oh no, don’t worry! I’m happy to wait a bit longer for some good food,” Furihata said, waving a hand.  He paused, hesitating a bit before continuing, “And um, if you want, there’s this arcade just a few doors down that I go to a lot with my other friends, and, um, w-we could go after lunch?”

 

Akashi’s smile brightened, “I’d love to.”

 

The sandwiches were just as delicious as they were rumored to be.  Furihata didn’t know what half the fancily named ingredients in the sandwich were, but it tasted good and that’s all he really cared about.  He was also quite hungry though, so he was sure that anything he ate at that point would have tasted amazing.  The strawberry smoothie he ordered wasn’t too bad either. 

 

After they both finished up Furihata led Akashi down the street to the arcade.  On the way there he started to feel a bit apprehensive.  Would Akashi really be entertained at a place like an arcade? It didn’t seem like his normal kind of venue.  

 

Furihata shouldn’t have worried, however.  Akashi turned out surprisingly good at the arcade games, from pinball to Pacman and everything in between.  Furihata somehow even found himself being persuaded into a Dance Dance Revolution dance-off against him.  Having participated in many DDR dance competitions with Fukuda and Kawahara before, and once even against Kagami and Kuroko, Furihata was fairly confident going into the dance battle.  Five intense Expert level dances later, however, Furihata was sweating and panting like he had just finished one of Riko’s intense training sessions.  Even Akashi had broken a sweat.  Their final score was 3-2 in favor of Akashi.  Furihata might have had the advantage of familiarity with the dances, but Akashi’s better basic agility, endurance, and reaction time ultimately prevailed, especially during the last few dances. 

 

Akashi turned towards Furihata, wiping his brow and huffing out a laugh, “You put up a good fight, Furihata-kun,” he placed a hand on Furihata’s shoulder as his smile turned sly, “But in the end I am still absolute.”

 

Furihata stared wide-eyed for a long moment, before letting out a “Pffft!” and then breaking out into breathless giggles.  Akashi soon joined in, chuckling, before joining Furihata in a full-hearted laugh.  Once they both finally managed to recover their breath, Furihata straightened up and turned to Akashi, a semi-serious expression on his face.

 

“You may have won this time, Akashi-kun, but don’t think I’ll let you win a second time!” he declared.

 

“Oh?” Akashi smiled in amusement, “Are you saying you let me win this time?”

 

“U-um…yes. Totally.” Smooth, Furihata.  Very convincing.

 

Akashi’s smile widened. With a flourish, he swept into an exaggerated bow.

 

“Well then, thank you for so graciously going easy on me, Furihata-kun.” He looked around a bit and then gestured at one of the stuffed animal claw machines that were impossible to ever win, “Allow me to repay you.”

 

“Ah, no, that’s really not necessary!” Furihata blushed, feeling a bit guilty.

 

“Please, I insist.”

 

As they drew near, it became apparent that the claw machine that Akashi had picked honestly had the smallest claw and largest stuffed animals Furihata had ever seen.  The odds were truly stacked against Akashi. He didn’t seem fazed, however, as he turned towards Furihata and asked, “Which one would you like?”

 

“Um,” Furihata peered into the machine and spotted an adorably fluffy stuffed lion.  It reminded him a lot of Akashi on court, though he would never say that aloud to the person in question.  It was sitting near the top of the pile of stuffed animals, so there was actually a sliver of a chance of getting it.  He pointed to it, “That one,” he said, “but honestly I’d be happy with anything you can manage to catch.”

 

“No worries, Furihata-kun, that lion will most assuredly be yours,” Akashi said, inserting a few coins into the machine.  As the machine whirred to life and started to tinkle out a song, he began to deftly maneuver the claw in quick, precise movements, stopping it directly above the stuffed lion. Furihata held his breath in anticipation as the claw descended.  It opened and then closed excruciatingly slowly around one of the lion’s stubby legs, and as the claw ascended again Furihata kept expecting the stuffed animal to fall out of the claw’s grasp, like always. But either through a miracle or through the sheer force of will that was directed through the glare that Akashi was sending towards the claw, the stuffed animal didn’t fall.  Even as the claw moved back over to the dispensing area, the lion remained held in place.  When the stuffed lion finally dropped safely into the dispensing chute, Furihata breathed out a sigh of relief and awe.

 

He picked up the stuffed animal, hugging it to his chest as he turned to Akashi in amazement, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone win at one of these claw machines before! You’re really something else Akashi-kun!” Furihata clutched the lion a bit tighter as he smiled, “Thank you though, really.  I don’t even have a gift to give in return though…”

 

Akashi waved a hand in dismissal, “Your company is a good enough gift for me, Furihata-kun.  And besides, this is me repaying you for your kindness earlier, remember?” Before Furihata could protest, Akashi pointed a thumb over his shoulder and said, “I believe I remember seeing a basketball minigame a while back.  Feel like giving it a try?”

 

Furihata blinked, caught off guard, “Oh…um, okay.  Won’t it be kind of unfair for us to play, though? To the arcade, I mean.”

 

“Don’t worry, Furihata-kun, we’ll make sure to stop before we run this establishment out of business,” Akashi teased, lips quirked in a half-smile. 

 

“Oh, um, right,” Furihata blushed. 

 

Akashi decided to shoot hoops first. Furihata cheered from the sidelines, stuffed lion clutched to his chest.  Each one of Akashi’s shots was perfect, and before long he had racked up enough points for one of the top tier prizes from the arcade.  He decided to stop there and let Furihata play instead.  Furihata’s shots weren’t as accurate as Akashi’s, but most of them still went in. 

 

“Your form looks a lot better, Furihata-kun,” Akashi noted.

 

“Ah, that’s thanks to you, Akashi-kun! I’ve been trying to keep your tips in mind whenever I practice,” He paused, twirling the basketball in his hands a bit nervously, “Um, actually, since we still have another day tomorrow, I was wondering if you could give me some hands-on tips? Since I’ll probably learn faster that way…” he trailed off, embarrassed.

 

Akashi smiled kindly, “That sounds like a great idea, Furihata-kun.  You know I’m always happy to help.  Shall we meet up a little earlier, then? Let’s say, 9:30?”

 

Furihata nodded a bit too enthusiastically, “Yes! Yes, that sounds good.  Thank you so much, Akashi-kun.  You’re always helping me out without asking for anything in return.”

 

Akashi placed a hand on Furihata’s wrist, stopping him, “How many times do I have to remind you, Furihata-kun? I’m glad to just be able to spend time with you.  Stop worrying so much about repaying time that’s been freely given.” He gave Furihata’s wrist a soft tug, “Now, shall we go and claim our prizes?”

 

* * *

 

 

It turned out that with their combined points they had enough for a free dinner for two at one of Ginza’s exclusive restaurants. 

 

“What a pleasant coincidence,” Akashi said when they received the vouchers, “I’ve eaten at this restaurant quite a few times before.  Their food is superb.  We should go together tomorrow night and spend these vouchers.”

 

“O-Oh, that would be nice! I would probably be too scared to go by myself anyway,” Furihata chuckled self-consciously, scratching at the back of his head. 

 

“Wonderful,” Akashi said, before pausing to check his watch, “It appears to be getting late. Would you like to get dinner together somewhere nearby, or do you have to return home?”

 

“Ah, I was actually planning on going to the nearby night market for dinner.  Um, you could join me, if you want?”

 

Akashi hummed, “Sounds interesting.  I’ve never been to a night market before, myself.”

 

“What!” Furihata exclaimed, appalled, “Never been to a night market? Akashi-kun, you have been missing out on life!”

 

“Have I? Well then, Furihata-kun, please enlighten my uncultured self.”

 

* * *

 

 

As usual, the night market in Shibuya was bustling, especially on a Saturday night.  Vendors were shouting about their wares, the smell of grilling yakitori and gyoza permeated the night air, and couples and children wandered about between the stalls.  Furihata spotted a donburi stall next to a stall selling udon and soba and his mouth began to water.  He was really quite hungry after such a physically demanding DDR session.  He remembered his manners, though, and turned to Akashi to ask him what he wanted to eat.  Akashi was turned away from him, however, an unreadable expression on his face as he looked at an alpha and omega couple cuddled closely on a bench, nosing at each other’s necks and breathing each other’s pheromones in deeply.  Furihata blushed at the shameless display, averting his eyes.  He quickly tugged at Akashi’s sleeve and pointed at a yakiniku stall. 

 

“Hey, d-doesn’t that look delicious? What do you feel like eating, Akashi-kun?” he asked, a bit too loudly.  
  
Akashi finally looked back at Furihata, a curious expression on his face, “I don’t know, Furihata-kun.  As the expert here, what do you recommend?”

 

“O-Oh! Well um, I don’t know about your tastes, but I was going to get some donburi and tempura.  A few stalls down they have some amazing bubble tea and mochi, too.  Um, the udon and soba stall is also pretty popular.  There’s nothing too fancy here, really, haha,” Furihata scratched at the back of his head self-consciously, hugging his stuffed lion a bit closer. 

 

“That’s quite alright.  I’ll simply have whatever you’re having, then,” Akashi said, “Since I trust your judgment.”

 

Furihata blushed, “Well, i-if you’re sure.”

 

Furihata managed to convince Akashi to let him pay for both of their meals, as compensation for Akashi buying them both coffee that morning.  They compromised and split the expenses for the bubble tea and mochi.  Furihata preferred the vanilla mochi himself, but Akashi seemed to appreciate the green tea flavored one more, after trying one of Furihata’s.  They had found a bench away from most of the night market crowd to sit and eat.  Furihata had set the stuffed animal down beside him on the bench.  It was quieter where they sat, though the laughter and screams of delight of children and general murmuring chatter of adults still made for some peaceful background noise. 

 

As Furihata finished up his bubble tea, Akashi turned to him, smiling, “I had a lovely time with you today, Furihata-kun.  I’m glad we have another day tomorrow, since I don’t think I’ve enjoyed myself this much in a long time, and I’d be disappointed if it had to end this early.”

 

“O-Oh! I had a lot of fun today, too! And I’m really glad I can spend another day with you tomorrow, too,” Furihata smiled shyly back.  He fidgeted with his empty cup a bit nervously, “And I wanted to thank you again for helping me with basketball and school a-and everything, really.  You’ve been a really great friend.” _That I don’t deserve_ , Furihata thought silently.

 

Akashi paused for a moment, before laying a hand over one of Furihata’s and giving him a gentle smile, “There’s really no need to thank me, Furihata-kun.  Your company is always a pleasure.  It just so happens that with our current schedules most of our time together is unfortunately spent on studying rather than more enjoyable ventures, such as today,” he squeezed Furihata’s hand lightly, “I honestly feel a bit selfish taking up so much of your time.  I’m sure you have other friends that you’d much rather spend the weekend with, since I’m aware I don’t make the best company—” Furihata suddenly turned and hugged Akashi, stopping him mid-sentence.  The hug brought him extremely close to Akashi’s neck, and the rush of delicious pheromones made him a bit light-headed at first, but he gathered his wits about him and managed to form a coherent sentence. 

 

“Didn’t I already say, Akashi-kun? You’re a great friend.”

 

He may have been imagining things since he was still a bit dizzy, but he thought he felt Akashi turn towards him and nose along his neck a bit, scenting him, before returning his embrace.  No, he must just be imagining it.  After a few more dazed, blissful moments, Furihata tore himself away, flushing with embarrassment.  Akashi chuckled.

 

“Thank you, Furihata-kun,” Akashi said, “Here I was trying to comfort you, and instead I became the one who needed comforting.” He smiled fondly at Furihata, before pulling away completely.

 

“It’s getting quite late.  Let me walk you to the subway station.  We have a long day tomorrow, and you should rest up before an entire morning of basketball.”

 

“Y-You’re right,” Furihata replied, still a bit flushed, “Um, you don’t really have to walk me all the way back to the subway, though.  It’s pretty far.”

 

“It’s quite alright.  The station is closer to where I’m staying, anyway,” Akashi reassured him.

 

“W-Well, okay then,” Furihata smiled shyly, pleased, despite his earlier protest. 

 

The walk to the subway was quiet, the space between them filled with a comfortable silence.  Furihata thought that his giddiness was due to the lingering effects of Akashi’s pheromones, but even after he had breathed in several lungfuls of the crisp night air, a warm sense of contentment remained.  Akashi waited as Furihata passed through the turnstiles to give him one last wave before watching him get swallowed by the crowd of late night passengers, all scrambling to get onto the last ride of the evening.  The whole trip back Furihata couldn’t help but smile quietly to himself.  He was really looking forward to tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR THE KIND COMMENTS AND KUDOS I LOVE AND APPRECIATE YOU ALL 
> 
> 2\. wow i am hella rusty at writing. probably gonna edit the hell out of these chapters once i've let them sit long enough to be objective. also updates will probably be much slower after this. maybe once a week? idk i've never done this before rip
> 
> 3\. day 1 of the weekend date was so fluffy.............................................i wonder how day 2 will go hmmmmmm??????
> 
> 4\. for those of you worrying, there will be a happy ending (eventually), because i'm a sucker for happy endings
> 
> 5\. how conceited would it be for me to draw fanart of my own fic


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